I think the first and foremost need for the 802.11AC speed is to be able to provide sufficient bandwidth for my mac book pro (NAS & Internet). The mini has gigabit ethernet as well, so it shouldn't be a big bottleneck for my LAN access needs. ISP provides me with 100Mbit so obviously the biggest gains would be in the NAS access with my mac book.

Sorry, wishful thinking on someones part. The root issue besides your current CPU limitations is the systems BIOS is only 32bit. So no matter what CPU could even work in this system it still won't run Yosemite. BTW - The best CPU this series could support is only a 1.83 GHz Core Duo (T2400). I think your money and effort would be better spent on a newer unit.

The EFI is not a problem either... I think. Some people have managed to get the Mac Mini 2,1 firmware flashed after they have upgraded their CPU to C2D. Mac Mini 2,1 is 64bit and enabled people to have Lion and even Mountain Lion with the help of 32bit GMA950 kexts.

But yeah the bloody GMA950 not having 64bit kexts is where this journey ends! Thanks for your comments!

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